adens's Blog

Ya dong

is basically made by soaking herbs that are wrapped in white cloth in … over time to extract beneficial elements from them to cure ailments. It's a traditional Thai medicine. Regarded as a poor man's choice of drink today, ya dong is also believed to be able to increase your libido. If you don't know what a ya dong vendor looks like, it's usually a humble streetside wooden stall with clear jars filled with different recipes of ya dong. Some stalls are decorated with Christmas lights all year round and play luk thung music. What should also catch your attention is the suggestive names given to some recipes such as "doh mai roo lom" (never go down), "kamlung seua khrong" (strength of Bengal tiger) and "naree rumphueng" (a woman's groan). An article in Daily News in April 2000 cited research conducted by a team from The Botanical Garden Organization that showed some herbs used in ya dong can increase libido. The research team, however, recommend that people should drink ya dong only twice a day and at 33cc each.

Mah mui or mucuna pruriens,

for Thais, is usually a plant to avoid. When your skin comes into contact with its hair, it makes you itch. However, when you use the right part of it, it allegedly brings married couples closer together both physically and emotionally. In September last year, Matichon reported a study that showed seeds of mah mui increase sexual drive in men and women. The study was carried out by Chanadda Bunlung, an academic who works at a hospital in Si Sa Ket. Twenty married couples volunteered for her study and, at the beginning, they described the stability of their relationship as average to rather low. Then they drank water with crushed seeds of the plant regularly and later reported they were happier with their marriage as a result of them "getting together" more. The couples also reported they enjoyed doing "homework" together more. Among many sexy benefits, women said they felt their breasts become fuller while men said they lasted longer. Good thing Channadda was quick to add that the usage of the plant should be done under supervision of experts only or else her study may have sparked a nationwide hunt for the seeds.

Some Thais believe that by simply wearing or using items imbibed with a special spell from a sorcerer or shaman, they can attract love and kindness from people. Some of these love charms, however, probably aren't … eyes and shouldn't be shown at a party unless you want people to feel awkward.

In koo is basically a small figure of a couple coupling. This charm, mostly made of different types of metals by sorcerers, is said to have originated in the north of Thailand and is believed to give single people power to become irresistible to the opposite sex. For lovers, the charm is supposed to keep them close emotionally and physically forever. In general, it's said to make people like you more. In koo comes in different forms and degrees of explicitness. There are modest versions of couples having intercourse while hugging face-to-face without showing male and female bits. Then there are versions of couples doing it on a horse's back showing full breasts and curves and erect penises and defined muscle. There are also homosexual versions.

Nam man prai

Made by shamans, nam man prai is, for lack of a better description, oil you get from holding a fire under the chin of a body of a woman who died while pregnant. This is considered black magic and an underhanded way for a man to get love from a woman, though. This creepy love potion is packaged in a small tube today, making it very convenient to carry around. If a guy wants a girl to love him, all he needs to do is flick some of this creepy oil on her and she will come running after him.

Paladkik

, or phallus, is a charm made of wood in the likeness of a penis and is very well-known among Thais. It's said to be rooted in Hinduism but its time of appearance in Thailand isn't known. These small penises are now made by shamans or Buddhist monks. In the past, they were used as a charm for boys. They wore it around their waist or neck to ward off evil. Today, people usually use them to attract business to their shops and Thai phalluses have been created with more creativity. According to an article in Krungthep Turakij newspaper in September 2001, symbols are also carved onto these phalluses for specific effect. A monkey on a phallus represents quickness and agility to avoid danger while a naked lady will attract love and kindness.

(source Bangkok Post)